Designed with sustainability in mind

Finding a home that would be energy efficient, and spacious enough for a family with three children was easy once this homeowner chose to build with Gallery Living.

Rising living costs are encouraging many of us to investigate energy efficient measures to save on household bills. While simple things, such as swapping light globes, are a good start, Johanna Milbank wanted to achieve much bigger savings when she built a home for the first time.

"I wanted to build a home that was energy efficient - one that maximised the amount of sun in the living areas to reduce heating costs but still have the house stay cool in summer to reduce cooling costs," she says. "That was my main driver (when choosing a home design). And it's also why I went with (builder) Gallery Living - they were pretty much the only bulk builder around that designs energy efficient homes."

After visiting several display homes, Johanna fell in love with Gallery Living's Monet 195, a four - bedroom (or three plus study), two -bathroom design with a central courtyard. Slightly modified to fit her Mt Barker block, and better suit Johanna 's ability to occasionally work from home, the Monet 195 also features an open kitchen-dining-living zone.

"The main thing I liked about the Monet was the courtyard and how the rest (of the home) was designed around that courtyard aspect," says Johanna. "But I also wanted to make sure we put the office up near the front door, so if I had clients coming they didn't have to come through the rest of the home."

Johanna says it took about eight months to build the home with only a few minor glitches along the way, including the wrong laminate being installed on the kitchen counters. But any problems were quickly remedied and Johanna describes the build process as "pretty smooth".

The mother-of-three, who has two adult children as well as a 12-year -old daughter, moved into their new home almost two years ago. While the home initially had a fairly neutral colour scheme, Johanna has recently introduced a brighter colour palette, including an apple green feature wall in the kitchen.

"I've also used red on a feature wall in my daughter's room, which looks really good," she says. "I've never done strong colours before. It used to be all white because I like that light, airy, bright feeling. Now I'm introducing a bit of colour - but not too much. I still want to keep that nice, white, bright look but this just brings a touch of interest to it."

While mother and daughter are thrilled with the home as it is, Johanna hopes to do more work to her garden, which includes an area for roses and wicking beds for vegetables. She also hopes to install solar panels to further improve the energy efficiency of the home.

The design has already reduced her heating and cooling costs and has also had other unexpected benefits. "The window placement and the (natural) light coming in give a really lovely feel," Johanna says. "I've even noticed the plants in the house grow really well - they love it too."

15-Mar-20 - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

The Monet 195 is no longer in our range please see Monet 200 for a similar house

A welcome change

After finding a block in the right location, this homeowner needed to find a design to fit its wide dimensions. Enter Gallery Living's Monet 195

Building to meet the requirements of an unusual shaped block can be a challenge, but for a southern suburbs homeowner it was a process made a lot easier with the help of a flexible home builder. When a block came up for sale in her favourite location, she knew she wanted it. The next step was to find a home design that would fit its wide dimensions.

"My land was very wide and not very deep. I chose the land I liked rather than finding a design and then looking for land that would accommodate my design," she says. Deciding to build with Gallery Living, the homeowner says the sales consultant proved to be most helpful, customising one of their standard designs to suit the requirements of her block and accommodating her wishlist and requests.

"Most designs suit a narrow frontage and longer block, I looked for a design I could turn around but that would still have street appeal," she says. "I looked through all of Gallery Living's display homes and this design had a warm, homely feeling to it.

"I chose to build with Gallery as I had previously built with Sarah Homes, I knew how they worked and I was happy with the build process last time." Based on Gallery Living's Monet 195 design, the homeowner was drawn to the zoned living of the four bedroom two bathroom home, which was ideal for her busy family.

"I liked that I could have my end of the house with a bedroom, ensuite and office, and the kids have the other end with their bedrooms and bathroom," she says. With a build process of about 10 months, the homeowner says there was a slight hiccup at the beginning which Gallery Living were quick to smooth out.

"Building can be stressful, it's not for everyone, I visited the site everyday to have a quick look and make sure everything was as I expected," she says. "There was an initial hold up with the site levels being incorrect and an amendment being submitted to council, and this held up the build for about four weeks. "Zenon, the site supervisor, caught up this time and my move-in date was a couple of weeks earlier than expected."

Inspired to create a relaxed feel within her home, the homeowner chose earthy tones to create a warm, welcoming interior. "I chose to have the rust colour on the Hebel, together with the greys on the weatherboard and Colorbond," she says. "For the interior I wanted a relaxed boho feel, with colours that were easy care having kids and pets."

The entrance of the home leads to an open family lounge, which flows on to the monochrome L-shaped kitchen and the dining area, with beautiful statement pendant lighting above the island bench and dining room table.

The spacious master suite has an ensuite, with a bath and a double shower, and feels like a private oasis from the rest of the home - a favourite feature of the homeowner. "The master bedroom is my sanctuary, the design I chose didn't have a bath in the house, so I chose to add a bath and put it in my master suite," she says. "I have recently repainted the room and it has a beautiful relaxed feel to it now."

The family has now lived in their home for just over a year and a half, and the homeowner says it has been ideal for entertaining and enjoying time with her two children. 'We are very happy with the house and I expect it will meet our needs until my children are grown up," she says. "In summer we spend a lot of time at the beach and in winter we walk or cycle around the town. I commute a fair way to work, but it is worth it to live in such a beautiful house and area."

10-Mar-19  - The Sunday Mail Home Magazine

The Monet 195 is no longer in our range please see Monet 200 for a similar house.